Sweet & Salty Pretzel Toffee Cookies

I think cookies are my love language. I don’t think a week has gone by in a very very long time where I haven’t made cookies in my kitchen. You can almost always find a container full of homemade cookies on my countertop. I am constantly brainstorming new ideas for cookies. One day, I was eating my very favorite candy bar and it dawned on me that this candy bar would be INSANE in some cookies.

This candy bar just happens to be Dots Homestyle Pretzels Mr. Dot Bar, Dark Chocolate Flavored Candy Bar with Pretzels and Toffee. It is made by a company out of North Dakota and can be found at my local grocery store but can also be found on Amazon through the link above. I wouldn’t consider this chocolate bar dark by any means, its more of a semi-sweet chocolate rather than a dark. It is loaded with crunchy toffee bits and chopped pretzels. Its the perfect treat because its chocolatey, salty and sweet. The perfect combination.

I am all about a good sweet and salty combo so I knew I wanted to make this new cookie have the perfect balance of both. The pretzels plus the addition of salt give this cookie that perfect amount of “snackiness” if that even makes sense. It turns a traditional chocolate chip cookie into a cookie that you can just keep eating more and more and more of. Then we add the toffee bits which add just the right amount of sweetness and its game over for me. These cookies are dangerously addicting!

My first round of creating this recipe, I wasn’t 100% sold on it because I love a slightly salty cookie but I know it can be unpalatable for others. Well I recruited my salt hating husband to try one without giving him any preface to what was in it. As he chewed his first bite, I stayed silent and waited to see what his reaction was going to be. You want to know what he said? “This is the best cookie I have ever eaten in my life!” So there you have it, don’t take it from me, take it from him and make these cookies ASAP!

Tips & Tricks

• If you can’t get a Dot’s Pretzel Bar, you can substitute it with additional chocolate chips, although you won’t get the same results. If you can get your hands on the Dot’s bars, I highly, highly recommend you do! It really takes these cookies to the next level.
• The cookies do not spread much at all in the oven. Don’t let it worry you because once they come out, you are going to “smash” them down gently with the back of your spatula.
• Be sure not to over bake these cookies or they will become too crunchy and we don’t want that! We went them to stay soft and chewy with only a slight crunch from the pretzels so don’t bake them longer than 11 minutes.
• These are BIG cookies, if you make smaller ones, adjust the bake time so they don’t over bake.

Sweet & Salty Pretzel Toffee Cookies

Makes 12-15 large cookies

Ingredients:

• 2 3/4 cup all purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup salted butter (2 sticks, room temperature)
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup chopped Dots Homestyle Pretzels Mr. Dot Bar, Dark Chocolate Flavored Candy Bar with Pretzels and Toffee (or 1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips if you don’t have access to Mr. Dots bars)
• 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 1/2 cup chopped mini pretzels + 12-15 whole mini pretzels
• 1/2 cup Heath Bits O Brickle Toffee Bits + 1/4 cup reserved

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a medium sized bowl combine flour, baking soda and salt. Stir to combine.
3. In a large bowl or stand mixing bowl add butter and sugars. Beat on medium speed for 3 minutes until smooth.
4. Add eggs and vanilla and beat on medium speed for another 3 minutes.
5. Add flour mixture a little bit at a time and mix on medium/low speed until just barely mixed and no flour streaks remain.
6. Add chopped pretzels, chopped candy bar, chocolate chips and toffee bits. Mix until just barely combined and additions are dispersed evenly throughout the dough.
7. Scoop dough into 3 oz sized cookie dough balls or 1/3 cup sized balls.
8. Sprinkle a little bit of reserved toffee bits all over top of the dough balls and press down gently to get them to stick to the top.
9. Top each cookie with a full mini pretzel and press down gently.
10. Bake for 9-11 minutes. The dough won’t spread much at all, that’s normal, don’t over bake them. Take them out no longer than the 11 minutes. The chocolate should be nice and melted but the cookies will still look raw. This is normal.
11. Remove cookies and immediately smash them down gently with the back of a spatula so they are about an inch thick and no longer in a large dome shape.
12. Allow to cool slightly then enjoy!